The present invention claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102 10 142.6, filed Mar. 7, 2002.
The invention relates to vehicle roof devices, and more particularly to a wind deflector that can be used with a sliding vehicle roof system.
Sliding roof systems can be used to improve ventilation and air flow in a vehicle. If the vehicle is traveling at low to moderate speeds while the sliding roof is open, however, periodical pressure variations may appear in the interior of the vehicle. These periodical pressure variations creating a xe2x80x9cthrummingxe2x80x9d noise that is unpleasant for people in the vehicle.
Wind deflectors have been designed to avoid these pressure variation problems and eliminate the noise accompanying the pressure variations. One example of a known wind deflector structure is shown in DE 40 39 485 C1. The wind deflector is usually arranged on the front edge of the roof opening exposed by a cover of the sliding roof system, where the front edge is viewed from the direction of forward vehicle travel. The wind deflector may also be attached so that it is transferable from a retracted position, where the wind deflector is situated underneath the outer face of the vehicle roof, to a raised position when the cover of the sliding roof system is opened.
Known wind deflector structures are usually rigid with a perforated, net-like portion over a large part of the wind deflector""s surface area. The perforations allow air to flow through the wind deflector and form a finely turbulent air layer near the roof opening. This turbulent air layer counteracts pressure variations generated by the roof opening. However, currently known wind deflectors occupy a large amount of space and have a complex construction, making installation of the wind deflector expensive.
There is a desire for a wind deflector that has a simplified construction and occupies less space than currently known wind deflectors.
The invention relates to a new wind deflector structure for a vehicle roof. The inventive wind deflector includes a base element that is mountable to the vehicle roof and a raising device that is pivotably connected to the base element. The wind deflector further comprises a flexible deflecting element attached to the base element and the raising device. The flexible deflecting element is made of a material that allows air to flow through it.
The inventive wind deflector also includes at least one resilient biasing member, such as a spring, that biases the raising device into a raised position to stretch the deflecting element between the base element and the raising device and form a substantially rigid wind deflecting structure. Because the deflecting element is flexible, it can be easily folded when not in use to save space.